Colts starter missed practice unexpectedly, and his status for Week 7 is now seriously in doubt
The Colts will most likely be without a top offensive weapon due to an injury we didn’t see coming
It wasn’t pretty throughout, but the Indianapolis Colts got the job done in Week 6 and pulled out a close win over the Arizona Cardinals. They are now tied for the best record in the NFL at 5-1 and sit alone atop the AFC South and AFC rankings. Next up is a battle with another top team in the AFC, the Los Angeles Chargers.
The team took the field on Wednesday for its first practice of the week. The Colts knew their star CB Charvarius Ward would likely miss as he suffered his second concussion of the year during pre-game workouts last week.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only starter beginning the week in the NFL’s concussion protocol. WR Josh Downs unexpectedly showed up on the injury report due to his missing practice with a concussion.
Colts Week 7 Wednesday injury report
- Josh Downs, WR – Did not practice (Concussion)
- Charvarius Ward, CB – Did not practice (Concussion)
- Ashton Dulin, WR – Did not practice (Chest)
- Tyler Goodson, RB – Did not practice (Groin)
- Braden Smith, RT – Did not practice (Rest)
- Kenny Moore II, CB – Limited participant (Achilles)
- Alec Pierce, WR – Full participant (Ankle)
Josh Downs misses practice as he enters the NFL concussion protocol
Every concussion is different, so it’s hard to use past experiences as a projected recovery timeline. Ward only missed one game with his last concussion, while Downs’ fellow WR, Alec Pierce, missed two weeks due to his. One constant with concussions for the Colts this year, though, has been the fact that players who have entered the league’s concussion protocol have all gone on to at least miss one game. So it’s safe to assume the Colts could be without Downs and Ward this week.
Downs’ situation was a surprise on Wednesday because head coach Shane Steichen did not mention the WR being in the league’s concussion protocol. This could mean Downs reported symptoms before practice and therefore wasn’t in the protocol when Steichen spoke.
But he did take two hard hits on his final two catches during the Colts’ Week 6 win. This is a pretty significant development, though. Not having Downs against the Chargers will make the offense’s job more complicated. Downs may not lead the team in any receiving stat this season, but he has been one of, if not their, go-to targets on third down.
His ability to win routes quickly has been a real asset this season. Another area they’ve relied on him in is on second-and-long, where they’ve targeted him at a high rate to make their third downs more manageable. If he truly can’t go this week, seeing what the Colts elect to do will be interesting.
Adonai Mitchell was inactive in Week 6 after he was demoted for his mistakes that led to the team’s only loss of the season. Ashton Dulin also missed practice with a chest injury, which leaves second-year Anthony Gould as another option to replace Downs.
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